Pandemonium
by Daine Salamin
Summary: Kazuma almost loses the thing most important to him.


**Author's Note: Love Kazuma and Ayano together and just had to write down this story when it popped into my head. All characters belong to the creator of Kaze no Stigma. Enjoy and please review!**

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><p>The police had said Kazuma was involved in the Pandemonium fights and that they needed her to stop him from killing anymore victims. So here she was at the latest brawl dressed up in a skimpy sailor costume with Enraiha in her right hand. She faced a man who called himself 'Blue Thunder'; apparently he was a seed, a level two, who could use lightning to electrocute his opponents. At the moment he was looking her up and down with his beady little eyes. He was drooling in apt appreciation. "So baby, why don't you just forfeit and we could go back to my place." He tried to grin sexily, but it just made him look even more disgusting than he already was.<p>

Catcalls and whoops came from the audience full of geeky men. She rolled her eyes and said. "Let's just get this over with; I have to go meet someone soon."

Suddenly the referee rang the bell that started the fight and she waited listening for the guy's cocky enchantment for the lightning bolt. He quickly called it out and the small bolt headed in her direction and struck her shoulder. She felt her shoulder tingle and glared at the idiotic guy across from her. "That all you got?" she asked sweetly.

"Just wanted to go easy on you sweet cheeks, don't want to burn that soft skin of yours." He grinned.

Ayano laughed so hard tears were in her eyes. "You think you can burn me? Give it your best shot!" she looked up from under her bands and licked her lips; "I like pain."

He smiled, "Alright baby you asked for it." She felt the static electricity draw itself around him and then a lightning bolt, much bigger than the last one, shot out and struck her in the chest sending her flying. She landed on her back and felt her breath leave her more from the impact than the jolt of lightning. As soon as her breath came back she stood and looked down at her chest.

"Damn it, you ruined my costume." And it was true, although the bolt didn't burn her it burnt through her clothes, now exposing her cleavage. She glared up at the guy, her eyes glowing with hatred. He took a step back realizing her skin wasn't burnt at all. "Now it's my turn!"

And with that she pointed Enraiha at him and shot out a bolt of fire that landed at his feet. He jumped as the fire began heating them up. "Ow, ow, ow!" he cried as he turned to run and she shot another bolt, but just as it reached his behind, a dark wind blew it away. A swirling black tornado landed on the stage and Kazuma stepped out of it. 'Blue Thunder' gave a cry and said, "Who the hell are you?"

"Hmm, names Kazuma, your 'Blue Thunder' a seed right, I need you to answer some questions." He said walking towards him.

"Don't come any closer," he raised his hand and a lightning bolt shot out and bounced off his wind shield.

"What he said." Kazuma heard from behind him as a wooden sword pressed against his neck.

"Ayano, I don't want to hurt you, get away." He said quietly hand raised to grab the other guy.

"You're a little late for that Kazuma," she whispered, "I know what you're doing, but you don't have to kill them to get the information you need."

"Yes I do, they'll just kill each other anyway. Now let me do this or I'll have to kill you too."

"You can try." And suddenly Ayano pulled back and swung at Kazuma with Enraiha in flames.

Kazuma jumped into the air and hovered over her. "Ayano, I'm serious, I will kill you if you stay in my way."

"Well I'm serious too Kazuma, you can try but you'll never do it, you know why, it's because you need my help to defeat pandemonium." And with that she aimed Enraiha at him and shot out three quick bursts of flame.

He quickly dodged them coming closer to her, but she kept shooting at him. Suddenly he was within feet of her and she quickly charged him. Her Enraiha bounced off his wind shield as she connected. Kazuma sighed, "I really didn't want to do this," he raised his hand and as she connected against the shield again there was an explosion and she flew away from him, flipping through the air and landing in a crouch, her long red hair flowing around her.

"KAZUMA!" she screamed charging him again.

She quickened her pace and dodged his flying wind knives, her flame became stronger the closer she got as her anger burned more furious. She quickly came within inches of him, his barrier the only thing blocking her. "Kazuma, this isn't you." She huffed as she pounded against his barrier. He quickly shot into the air and she jumped pointing Enraiha down so she could us the fire like a rocket. She passed him and fell towards him shooting bursts of fire much larger than before. She clashed against his wind barrier pushing him back towards earth. Stray winds cut her face, arms, and legs, as she lowered him back to the stage.

"The Kazuma I know would never let me force him to his knees." She said as she did just that. His barrier cracking with each push against it.

"He would never kill people who couldn't give him information or threaten to kill his friends." She cried as his barrier fell apart around him.

He looked up with wide red eyes. She pointed her sword at his neck and screamed, "The Kazuma I know is never this WEAK!" she drew back for one final blow and suddenly she was hit with an unexpected force that sent her flying into and through the stage wall. She landed on her back, Enraiha thrown from her hand. Pain wracked through her body as she rolled her head to look towards Kazuma. His eyes no longer red but the light brown of a Kannagi, he stared at her in horror as the stage around him burned. The audience sat in horrified silence as two people emerged from the smoke. One was a man, half his face covered in a mask and the other a young woman with green eyes. Bernhardt and Lapis. Ayano tried to move but her body refused, she lay in a crumpled heap watching as Bernhardt strode towards her. She saw Kazuma behind him stand and begin to attack when Lapis attacked him with her sword. He blocked with his wind barrier and she struck again and again, he didn't try to attack her just let her attack him as Bernhardt reached down and lifted Ayano into his arms.

"You my dear are going to be the perfect gift for Kazuma when I'm finished with you." He whispered and she shivered, "Lapis." He called and the young girl gave another blow before turning and running towards Bernhardt.

"Until we meet again Kazuma." Bernhardt said as Lapis joined him by his side then they disappeared.

Kazuma stood there uncomprehendingly as the police came and gamers ran away. Ren, Jugo, and his old man came up to him and demanded answers to questions he couldn't answer. He stood there mouth open as he tried to sort through what he just saw. Ayano beaten and bloody being carried away by Bernhardt. "She's gone." He mumbled and began chanting softly.

"Who's gone Kazuma?" Jugo asked his voice laced with fear.

Kazuma looked up at him, face and eyes blank of any emotion. "Ayano." He said softly, and felt a sharp pain in his chest. Jugo's normally calm and serene expression fell away as he became enraged. He glared at Kazuma, "You get her back Kazuma, or so help me, I will fry you on the spot." He growled.

"You can count on me, I will get her back, if it's the last thing I do." He vowed.

Ayano looked around and couldn't help but feel afraid as she felt the chains on her wrists and ankles. The dark room smelled damp and rotten. She held out her hand hearing the chains jingle. She quickly formed flame in her hand and looked around the room. She cried out, she was surrounded by bones; there must have been at least a hundred skeletons, all in different versions of decay. "I see you have woken up, my dear." Bernhardt said as he walked into the room with a torch in one hand and a book in the other.

"What do you want with me?" Ayano cried trying to pull out of the chains.

"Nothing too drastic, I'm just going to kill you in front of Kazuma, his facial expression should be interesting, see the woman he loves dying by hands while he can do nothing, again." He laughed.

"You're a monster, and his face won't look any different because he doesn't love me." She cried.

He laughed again. Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound above them. "Ah, looks like he's here," he pulled out his pocket watch, "Hmm, he's earlier that I thought, no matter." He waved his hand and Ayano felt herself go numb but her mind stayed alert.

Bernhardt quickly lifted her and set her onto a table she'd glimpsed at in the middle of the room. He quickly undressed her and Ayano tried to move to stop him but her limbs felt like they were encased in concrete blocks. She tried to scream out but he cast a silencing spell on her as they heard more crashing above them. He quickly sliced open her wrists and ankles, he drew a small line across her neck with the knife, not enough to kill her but enough so she would bleed. He also cut a line over her stomach. Ayano felt her blood dripping onto the table beneath her and felt her tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Hmm, let's see how they are doing shall we." He asked as she trembled in pain.

A large globe appeared before them and she watched as Kazuma fought Lapis and Ren fought off a couple of monsters. Both men looked bloody and at the end of their powers. Ayano cried harder at the pained look on Kazuma's face as he fought the woman he loved. "This is no good; he's nowhere near the dungeons," he mumbled, "Lapis." The girl cocked her head as she fought Kazuma, "lead him here, I'm almost ready." Lapis jumped back and raced towards a pair of doors behind her.

_Ren, can you take care of them?_ Kazuma asked.

_I'm fine, go get Ayano_. Ren cried destroying one of the monsters in front of him.

Ayano watched as Kazuma raced towards the doors, Bernhardt had begun to chant and purplish light began to fill the room around her as the table beneath her seemed to melt away. Pain increased insider her body, she felt as though she was encased by flames although she should not have felt the burn. Another crash, this one closer, sounded and she somehow rolled her head towards the door. There he stood, eyes dimming from bright blue to light brown, his body covered in blood and cuts. He stumbled in just as Bernhardt raised his arms and stabbed the knife through Ayano's chest. She screamed as black demonic arms began pulling at her flesh, she began to glow, her body burning from the inside out. "Kazuma." She whispered.

"No, AYANO!" he screamed charging towards her. He stopped as a sword appeared from his stomach and looked down behind him. Lapis fell and then disappeared in a burst of red light. Kazuma turned back to Ayano and Bernhardt.

"How does it feel, Kazuma, seeing once again the woman you love being fed on by demons." He laughed maniacally.

Kazuma looked at Ayano as he fell to his knees, "Ayano, I'm sorry, so sorry, please you have to live. Fight his love." He whispered but she heard him.

He said love. Does that mean he loves me? She wondered the pain slowly subsiding. She stared at him the question in her eyes. He stared back and she got her answer as his eyes softened in love. She smiled as the glowing intensified, but instead of being red it turned gold. With a burst of energy Ayano was consumed by golden flames. Bernhardt cried out pulling away from her. Kazuma stared and with a burst of adrenaline stood and raced as quickly as he could towards the flames. He looked past the flames and saw Ayano, her wounds healing, she opened her eyes and looked at him, her flame colored eyes filled with love as she smiled and pulled him into the flames with her. The sword inside him disappeared as she wrapped him in a warm embrace and a warm wind swirled around them, lifting her hair and ruffling their clothes. They both healed quickly, only taking a minute or so and when the flames died out, Ayano was garbed in the traditional Fire God's robe, Enraiha in hand. Kazuma was in the Wind God's robes a scepter in his hands. Ayano glance at Kazuma and smiled, lifting her sword she pointed at Bernhardt, Kazuma mirroring the action with left hand and his scepter resting in his right. They blasted Bernhardt with heat and wind. He screamed as his body caught fire and began to melt with the intense heat, that is until the wind was forced from his lungs. When the fiery vortex dispersed Bernhardt was gone.

Both Ayano and Kazuma sighed in relief as Ren ran in. "Kazuma did you fin-" Ren stopped as he saw Ayano. "Ayano!" he cried launching himself into her arms crying. She hugged him back and then pulled Kazuma into their embrace. They pulled away.

"Ren what happened to the monsters?" Kazuma asked.

"They disappeared just as I was about to finish them off." He replied.

"Good job!" Ayano said and began walking towards the door, "Let's get out of he-" she started and suddenly swayed, she tried to grab the wall but missed and fell into Kazuma's arms and fainted.

"Ayano!" Ren cried.

"She's fine, she just fainted." Kazuma smiled and lifted her into his arms carrying her out the door, Ren trailing behind him.


End file.
